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Yoshio Sakamoto
|title=Executive Officer at Nintendo EPD |occupation=Video game producer }} (born July 23, 1959) is a Japanese video game producer and executive officer working for Nintendo, where he has worked since 1982. Career Sakamoto is a key member in the development of the ''Metroid'' series. Sakamoto grew up with Nintendo toys, which he noted to be inventive and occasionally "strange". The company hired him in 1982, when he came out of art college. His first projects at Nintendo were the design of pixel art for the Game & Watch handheld Donkey Kong, and the arcade game Donkey Kong Jr. He turned to the Nintendo Entertainment System afterward, for which he designed the games Wrecking Crew, Balloon Fight and Gumshoe. Sakamoto created characters for Metroid (under the alias 'Shikamoto'), and was a game designer on Kid Icarus. He also directed and wrote Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid: Other M, and was the producer for Metroid: Samus Returns. Sakamoto's design work is also found in various other Nintendo titles and franchises, including Balloon Kid (1990), Kaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naru (1992, Japan only), Teleroboxer (1995), Galactic Pinball (1995), Game & Watch Gallery (1997), Trade & Battle: Card Hero (2000), Wario Land 4 (2001), Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), Wario World (2003), WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (2003), WarioWare: Smooth Moves (2006) and Card Hero DS (2008). He is one of the most prominent members of Nintendo's former Research and Development 1 division. Philosophy Sakamoto has stated that he wants to live up to public expectations of Nintendo to deliver products similarly unique to those of his youth, describing WarioWare, Inc. as a prime example of this effort. Regarding his professional relationship with Shigeru Miyamoto, he believes his own mission is not to compete with but to "always come up with something very different from what Mr. Miyamoto is likely to do". Gameography * Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) — Game Designer * Balloon Fight (1984) — Game Designer * Wrecking Crew (1985) — Game Designer * Gumshoe (1986) — Director, Game Designer * Metroid (1986) — Game Designer * Kid Icarus (1986) — Game Designer * Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Kōkeisha (1988) — Game Designer, Scenario Writer * Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shōjo (1989) — Game Designer, Scenario Writer * Balloon Kid (1990) — Director * X (1992) — Director * Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (1992) - Scenario Writer * Super Metroid (1994) — Director, Scenario Writer * Teleroboxer (1995) — Director * Galactic Pinball (1995) — Special Thanks * Game & Watch Gallery (1997) — Advisor * Trade & Battle: Card Hero (2000) — Director, Game Designer, Scenario Writer * Wario Land 4 (2001) — Supervisor * Metroid Prime (2002) — Special Thanks * Metroid Fusion (2002) — Director, Scenario Writer * Wario World (2003) — Advisor * WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! (2003) — Supervisor * WarioWare: Twisted! (2004) — Producer * WarioWare: Touched! (2004) — Producer * Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) — Director * Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004) — Special Thanks * Metroid Prime Pinball (2005) — Special Thanks * WarioWare: Smooth Moves (2006) — Producer * Rhythm Tengoku (2006) — Producer * Picross DS (2007) — Supervisor * Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007) — Special Thanks * Rhythm Heaven (2008) — General Producer * WarioWare: D.I.Y. (2009) — Producer * Tomodachi Collection (2009, Japan exclusive) — Producer * Metroid: Other M (2010) — Director, Producer, Scenario Writer * Rhythm Heaven Fever (2011) — General Producer * Kiki Trick (2012) — Supervisor * Game & Wario (2013) — Producer, Game Designer * Tomodachi Life (2013) — Producer * Rhythm Heaven Megamix (2015) — General Producer * Miitomo (2016) — Producer * Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016) — Special Advisor * Metroid: Samus Returns (2017) — Producer References External links * Category:1959 births Category:Japanese video game designers Category:Japanese video game directors Category:Living people Category:Metroid Category:Nintendo people Category:Video game writers